I found this video via an ‘industry forum’, but it’s a publicly available clip on YouTube that already has over 10,000 views. My question is, do you think this is a video that an employee (I’m assuming that’s who shot it) should share via a public channel? I’m wondering what thoughts are from those of us in the ski industry as well as those of you that perhaps just love to ski and ride. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
IMPORTANT: There’s some ‘colorful’ language in this clip so it’s NSFW, mainly if you’re at the office with speakers turned on!
Tags: Jackson Hole chairlift · social media · social media policy · youtube10 Comments
I don't know if it's appropriate or not, but I am glad that I am not sitting on that chair lift.
Ditto to that – just a touch sketchy looking!
Holy S – Eric that is scary
Certainly not a ride that I'd be up for taking – whew…
Hey Eric,
An amazing video, great find.
As far as the question, should an employee share this video? My answer would be yes, but with some footnotes.
First, I don't think Jackson Hole will be too pleased about the posting. My first thought was about safety. To an industry / ski vet like us, the video is just cool. But to the average person or the person who is about to visit Jackson on a ski trip for the first time, this video is terrifying.
The PR / viral impact of the video cannot be ignored…all of those years promoting safety could be wiped away because one video 'goes viral.'
Personally, I would have liked to see Jackson Hole or the employee, post the video (without the expletives) along with an explanation of what happened and the safety measures in place. I would feel a lot better knowing that the situation was under control.
Of course, that point leads to social training by the resort. Jackson Hole needs to engage their employees and let them know it is okay to post videos, but there are guidelines. We all know the 'cool' or ‘viral’ videos are typically highlighting the unsafe side of the sport, so the viewer needs context…’these are professionals’…’don’t try this at home’…’these people did not fly off the chair.’
Otherwise it just looks like Jackson Hole let a couple of skiers from Florida ride a dangerous lift while employees stood by in amazement.
Great post, and I have to say a good example for a post I am writing currently on how everyone is part of the social brand, not just the organization.
Good stuff.
- Troy
Hi Troy,
You brought up the thoughts that hit me when I first watched this video plus some! I agree that this shows the importance of having social media guidelines (I like to think they're more like guardrails), in place and also brought to every employees attention so that everyone is aware of why certain things should not be posted publicly online.
Thanks for your insight!
Thanks Eric,
While I love the idea of training, we both know that guidelines would not completely stop anyone (personal freedom) from posting a video like this…that is the beauty of and challenge with social media…but at least it provides a plan for how this type of content should be handled.
I think the video is amazing and it could have been a huge win for Jackson Hole if they could frame the video as an example of their safety record. Still cool, just with a message:
'Hey, look what happened the other day. It is a crazy video, but no one got hurt because we believe in safety first.'
The new reality is this, everyone in your organization is an extension of your social brand.
- Troy
Troy has a lot of good points. I'd add that my first immediate question was, "why did they keep loading the lifts with increasing wind speeds?". Sure it could be a freak storm but they're lucky they avoided alternate outcomes.
I'd suggest allowing employees to post whatever videos they want but to a) be upfront about the ramifications for posting questionable material (i.e. tell them to consider, 'would I do this if my boss was standing next to me?') and b) have a proactive response – in this case, posting additional information about the situation.
My ¢2.
Matt,
Agreed on the operations end as well as on the SocMed employee relations and response end of things – quick rule of thumb in my book is never post anything that your mother wouldn't mind seeing (pretty much the same as your boss one).
Thanks!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Travel 2.0 Blog, Eric Hoffman. Eric Hoffman said: New blog post, "Do you think this video is appropriate to share?" – leave comment and let me know your thoughts! http://su.pr/2a5IBi [...]